Is it possible to change Intel 5100 to an Atheros in JHL90?

Dear everyone,

I would like to know if I can change my JHL90’s Intel 5100 wireless card to one of a different brand. Like an Ahteros maybe? I am unsatisfied with the Intel’s performance.

Thank you for your replies.

(This is a kind of multi-post I know, but since I could not figure out how to delete the last one and could not change the topic’s title either I decided to open it again with a different and more precise title. Who knows? I might receive a reply this way…)

 

Unsatisfied with Intel's preformance? Then you definitely don't want an Atheros

But yes it is possible. The 5100 will use one of the mini PCI slots on your laptop MotherBoard. Good Luck

 

However surprising it may sound all my friends who have Atheros and Broadcom wireless cards in their laptop have better performance. They can access a wider range of networks from the same spot. We have put it to a little test. Not to mention there are some issues between Intel cards and Linksys rooters as far as I am concerned.

None the less I greatly appreciate your reply and opinion. Could you perhaps suggest a model from Broadcom then?

 

That's because you have the 5100 is the weakest WLAN card Intel offer. It's even worse than the 4965agn which is older. Just upgrade to the 5300. It's prett much the best WLAN card you can get right now.

 

Ya I did do some reading. I have a 4965 and it is great!! I agree the 5300 has the extra antenna too I believe. May be worth checking out

 

No. Do not get an Atheros. My friend has an Acer Aspire One with one of them and they are worse than the excrement of a rabid dog. Can hardly pick up a signal, and the drivers frequently cause it to stop working.

 

Well, I am not so sure what to do. I have heard from experts that Atheres cards are good. I have not read this topic yet http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=335716&page=5 nor this http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=300022 since I do not have that kind of time on my hands right now… Maybe there is some useful information in it somewhere. However I must ad that all I ever heard of the 5300 card was it does not worth the money.
But it does seem that most people object to Atheros’. So how about a Broadcom than? I would really like to by a reliable card that will not let me down.
And since everyone has a different opinion when it comes to wireless cards how about backing up your claim? A do appreciate everyone’s help here but I really can not reply on opinions like “get this ‘cause that sux”.
If anyone could suggest a decent Broadcom card that goes in my JHL90, please fell free to contribute to the topic.

 

Dell 1505. It is Broadcom based. But what do you have against the 5300? It only cost $25-30.

 

Hey Gyurmogi,

I read through those to posts you have there. It seems at first that jonlumpkin said that 5300 was a waste of money on his original comparison between the 5100 and 5300. Later however he claims that the 5300 has a better preformance over the 5100 and even though he still recommends the 5100 he is clearly leaning toward the 5300.

I personally agree with Ayle. However my opinion is based upon reading benchmarks and tests on the cards, I am currently running a 4965. I strongly believe you will be disappointed if you recieve a broadcom or an atheros over an intel. However the choice is yours. Good Luck in whatever you choose!!

 

Dear splashpants,

Thank you for taking the time to go through those topics. It is only now that I have the time to even post a reply here not to mention starting with the topics for myself. Anyway I think I will go for the Intel 5300 then. I just have to find a nice place where tey sell it for the right price since I intend on returning it for a refund if is should not satisfy my expectations.
I’ll let you know when I manage to get a hold of it and try it out.
Thank you all for your help so far.

 

Are you located in Canada cause I might be able to give you a good list of places. I currently live here (in Canada) and its sometimes harder to find availability of items compared to the US.

 

Unfortunately I am not. I live in Hungary. But I just call it “The Edge of The Balkan”, if you know what I mean. A hell of a place this is… The company selling Compals ceased to exist so there’s no support for the notebooks any longer here. And that guy at the European Compal contact is no help at all. He does not even reply… Costumer service of Compal just… So currently I am facing some difficulties in acquiring the wireless card. That is why I asked in the first place if an Atheros or Broadcom would do. Those are available. But thank you for the offer.

 

Ok I see. I am pretty sure Compal doesn't support end-user. It only supports its retailers. As far as I recall anyway....

 

I had mine shipped with an Atheros. The card itself was fine, but finding drivers was a bit of a tackle since they were not included on the disc and their Vista version was kinda inexistent (or my googling skills failed me=) Had to use XP version in the end. However, it was 11g card, for N ones the situation should be fairly opposite.